Fear is an emotional response to a circumstance or set of circumstances and it falls within a spectrum that ranges from mild discomfort to outright terror. Everyone has experienced fear. Some people live with it.
Being afraid is linked with being cautious and both have a close connection to survival. There are dangers which should be avoided. Fear can help us identify those dangers.
The problem with fear is that it can become an unreasonable state of being resulting in suffering, isolation and emotional turmoil. Experiencing fear is one thing. Constantly being in the grip of it is another thing entirely.
Fear can be debilitating. It can be embarrassing. It can be exhausting. And it can make life difficult if not intolerable.
Avoidance is the least effective way to deal with fear. Facing it works.
It should not be a brutal encounter. We need to step back and take a comprehensive look at the subject or object of our fear. To understand it we need to dissect it. We need to identify its origin and its cause and then match that knowledge with trigger factors.
Then, by degrees, it’s necessary to confront the fear. It takes effort and application, conviction and determination but it’s possible to reduce the fear to a manageable level or eliminate it entirely. The result is control over something that once was controlling.
Facing fear does not mean placing ourselves in harm’s way. Self-preservation should always be of paramount concern. More often than not it’s little more than a change in perception and modified thinking.
If we are able to deal with our fears and empower ourselves against them we will be rewarded. We will be able to live a fuller, happier and more contented life.
It takes time and effort but conquering fear can be both life-affirming and life-changing.
Gary Bentley Counselling 